Device assignment system and method

Abstract

A tag assignment system, comprising a processing circuitry and being communicatively connected to a data repository comprising records, each of which (i) being associated with a respective distinct animal of a plurality of animals, and (ii) including a Unique Animal Identifier (UAI) associated with the respective distinct animal; the processing circuitry is configured to: substantially simultaneously: (i) obtain an ID reading of an animal identification tag attached to a given animal of the animals from a first tag reading device, wherein the ID reading including the UAI uniquely identifying the given animal, and (ii) obtain a tag reading of a second tag attached to the given animal from a second tag reading device, the tag reading including tag identification information uniquely identifying the second tag; and cause update of the data repository to assign the tag identification information to a given record of the records associated with the UAI.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A tag assignment system, comprising:
 one or more tag reading devices capable of reading tags attached to animals; and 
 a processing circuitry; 
 wherein:
 (a) the tag assignment system is communicatively connected to a data repository comprising one or more records, each of the records being associated with a respective distinct animal of a plurality of animals, and including a unique animal identifier associated with the respective distinct animal; and 
 (b) the processing circuitry is configured to:
 obtain a first ID reading of an animal identification tag attached to a given animal of the animals from a first tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the first tag reading device is operating according to a first communication protocol, and the first ID reading including at least the unique animal identifier uniquely identifying the given animal, and substantially simultaneously, in respect to the time of the first ID reading, obtain a first tag reading of a second tag, other than the animal identification tag, attached to the given animal from a second tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the second tag reading device is operating according to a second communication protocol, wherein the animal identification tag is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and the first communication protocol is an RFID protocol, the second tag is an Infra-Red (IR) tag and the second communication protocol is an IR protocol, the first tag reading including at least tag identification information uniquely identifying the second tag attached to the given animal; 
 obtain at least one additional readings set of ID and Tag readings, each additional readings set is obtained by: obtaining a second ID reading of the animal identification tag attached to the given animal—from at least one third tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the third tag reading device operating according to the first communication protocol, the second ID reading including at least the unique animal identifier uniquely identifying the given animal, and obtain a second tag reading of the second tag attached to the given animal from a fourth tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the fourth tag reading device is operating according to the second communication protocol, and the second tag reading including at least the tag identification information uniquely identifying the second tag attached to the given animal; and 
 upon the first ID reading being identical to the second ID reading and upon the tag identification information of the first tag reading being identical to the tag identification information of the second tag reading, of at least one of the additional readings sets, cause update of the data repository, at least to assign the tag identification information to a given record of the records associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal. 
 
 
 
     
     
       2. The tag assignment system of  claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause a second update of the data repository to delete the tag identification information from a second record of the records, other than the given record, wherein the second record is not associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal. 
     
     
       3. The tag assignment system of  claim 1 , wherein the second tag is an animal monitoring tag. 
     
     
       4. The tag assignment system of  claim 1 , wherein the first communication protocol is different than the second communication protocol. 
     
     
       5. The tag assignment system of  claim 1 , wherein the first tag reading device is different than the second tag reading device. 
     
     
       6. The tag assignment system of  claim 1 , wherein the ID reading and the tag reading are obtained when the given animal is located at a confined area, so that (a) the animal identification tag is within a first reading range of the first tag reading device, and (b) the second tag is within a second reading range of the second tag reading device. 
     
     
       7. The tag assignment system of  claim 6 , wherein the confined area is: (a) within a feeding station, (b) within a milking cabin, (c) a portion of an animal passage allowing only one of the animals to be located within the confined area during obtainment of the ID reading and the tag reading, or (d) is an area defined by the first reading range and the second reading range. 
     
     
       8. The tag assignment system of  claim 6 , wherein the animal passage comprises conductive rails, and wherein at least one of (a) the first tag reading device, or (b) the second tag reading device, are insulated from the conductive rails. 
     
     
       9. The tag assignment system of  claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to alert a user upon failure to obtain the ID reading or the tag reading. 
     
     
       10. The tag assignment system of  claim 1 , wherein the first ID reading and the first tag reading are performed at a different time point in respect to the timing of the ID reading and the tag reading of the at least one additional reading set. 
     
     
       11. A tag assignment method, comprising:
 obtaining a first ID reading of an animal identification tag attached to a given animal of the animals from a first tag reading device of one or more tag reading devices capable of reading tags attached to animals, wherein the first tag reading device is operating according to a first communication protocol, and the first ID reading including at least the unique animal identifier uniquely identifying the given animal, and substantially simultaneously, in respect to the time of the first ID reading, obtaining a first tag reading of a second tag, other than the animal identification tag, attached to the given animal from a second tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the second tag reading device is operating according to a second communication protocol, wherein the animal identification tag is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and the first communication protocol is an RFID protocol, the second tag is an Infra-Red (IR) tag and the second communication protocol is an IR protocol, and the first tag reading including at least tag identification information uniquely identifying the second tag attached to the given animal; and 
 obtaining at least one additional readings set of ID and tag readings, each additional reading set is obtainable by: obtaining a second ID reading of the animal identification tag attached to the given animal from a third tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the third tag reading device is operating according to the first communication protocol, and the second ID reading including at least the unique animal identifier uniquely identifying the given animal, and substantially simultaneously, in respect to the time of the second ID reading, obtaining a second tag reading of the second tag attached to the given animal from a fourth tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the fourth tag reading device is operating according to the second communication protocol, and the second tag reading including at least the tag identification information uniquely identifying the second tag attached to the given animal; and 
 upon the first ID reading being identical to the second ID reading and upon the tag identification information of the first tag reading being identical to the tag identification information of the second tag reading, of at least one of the additional readings sets, causing update of a data repository comprising one or more records, each of the records (i) being associated with a respective distinct animal of a plurality of animals, and (ii) including a unique animal identifier associated with the respective distinct animal, wherein the update includes at least assigning the tag identification information to a given record of the records associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal. 
 
     
     
       12. The tag assignment method of  claim 11 , further comprising causing a second update of the data repository to delete the tag identification information from a second record of the records, other than the given record, wherein the second record is not associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal. 
     
     
       13. The tag assignment method of  claim 11 , wherein the second tag is an animal monitoring tag. 
     
     
       14. The tag assignment method of  claim 11 , wherein the first communication protocol is different than the second communication protocol. 
     
     
       15. The tag assignment method of  claim 11 , wherein the first tag reading device is different than the second tag reading device. 
     
     
       16. The tag assignment method of  claim 11 , wherein the ID reading and the tag reading are obtained when the given animal is located at a confined area, so that (a) the animal identification tag is within a first reading range of the first tag reading device, and (b) the second tag is within a second reading range of the second tag reading device. 
     
     
       17. The tag assignment method of  claim 11 , wherein the confined area is: (a) within a feeding station, (b) within a milking cabin, (c) a portion of an animal passage allowing only one of the animals to be located within the confined area during obtainment of the ID reading and the tag reading, or (d) is an area defined by the first reading range and the second reading range. 
     
     
       18. The tag assignment method of  claim 11 , further comprising alerting a user upon failure of obtaining the ID reading or the tag reading. 
     
     
       19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code, executable by at least one processing circuitry of a computer to perform a method comprising:
 obtaining a first ID reading of an animal identification tag attached to a given animal of the animals from a first tag reading device of one or more tag reading devices capable of reading tags attached to animals, wherein the first tag reading device is operating according to a first communication protocol, and the first ID reading including at least the unique animal identifier uniquely identifying the given animal, and substantially simultaneously, in respect to the time of the first ID reading, obtaining a first tag reading of a second tag, other than the animal identification tag, attached to the given animal from a second tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the second tag reading device is operating according to a second communication protocol, wherein the animal identification tag is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and the first communication protocol is an RFID protocol, the second tag is an Infra-Red (IR) tag and the second communication protocol is an IR protocol, and the first tag reading including at least tag identification information uniquely identifying the second tag attached to the given animal; and 
 obtaining at least one additional readings set of ID and tag readings, each additional reading set is obtainable by: obtaining a second ID reading of the animal identification tag attached to the given animal from a third tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the third tag reading device is operating according to the first communication protocol, and the second ID reading including at least the unique animal identifier uniquely identifying the given animal, and substantially simultaneously, in respect to the time of the second ID reading, obtaining a second tag reading of the second tag attached to the given animal from a fourth tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the fourth tag reading device is operating according to the second communication protocol, and the second tag reading including at least the tag identification information uniquely identifying the second tag attached to the given animal; and 
 upon the first ID reading being identical to the second ID reading and upon the tag identification information of the first tag reading being identical to the tag identification information of the second tag reading, of at least one of the additional readings sets, causing update of a data repository comprising one or more records, each of the records (i) being associated with a respective distinct animal of a plurality of animals, and (ii) including a unique animal identifier associated with the respective distinct animal, wherein the update includes at least assigning the tag identification information to a given record of the records associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal. 
 
     
     
       20. The tag assignment method of  claim 11 , wherein the first ID reading and the first tag reading are performed at a different time point in respect to the timing of the ID reading and the tag reading of the at least one additional reading set.